Hello!

My descent into polishing and Japanese natural stones left me with one glaring issue: storage space for the growing collection of stones. With a few more stones arriving soon, I realized I would not have space for them all.

So I decided to rip off the bandaid and finally finish my very first woodworking project of any kind: my new stone shelf, which is really just a prototype that (thankfully) happens to be functional. I plan to build a more permanent option when I get back from my trip to Japan in October with improved skills and an understanding of how many stones I need to make space for lol.

The prototype shelf is made of popular on the sides with padauk shelves; both random bits of wood I picked up for super cheap to learn on. The poplar is garbage from Home Depot, but the padauk was from my local hardwood store and really beautiful. It also is very dense making it naturally fairly resistant to water; ideal for a stone shelf. I used mortice and tenon joints for the shelves, cut out some feet and sanded every edge to make it soft. There is no finish added to the wood. I used all hand tools (chisels and saws) for the project.

Let's be very honest; it's not great on the aesthetic front; there was some tear out from the shitty Home Depot poplar I used for the sides and I have an absurd amount to learn when it comes to working with wood; not against it. But it works and fits in my prep space well!

Regardless, I finished my first project, made something functional and now I have more space to grow into for the next year until I build an upgraded version down the line. For me, it felt like a win worth sharing.

I'll be back down the line with some NSDs and some more stone content. I hope you're all well!

-Teej

Hello TCK!

My descent into polishing and Japanese natural stones left me with one glaring issue: storage space for the growing collection of stones. With a few more stones arriving soon, I realized I would not have space for them all.

So I decided to rip off the bandaid and finally finish my very first woodworking project of any kind: my new stone shelf, which is really just a prototype that (thankfully) happens to be functional. I plan to build a more permanent option when I get back from my trip to Japan in October with improved skills and an understanding of how many stones I need to make space for lol.

The prototype shelf is made of popular on the sides with padauk shelves; both random bits of wood I picked up for super cheap to learn on. The poplar is garbage from Home Depot, but the padauk was from my local hardwood store and really beautiful. It also is very dense making it naturally fairly resistant to water; ideal for a stone shelf. I used mortice and tenon joints for the shelves, cut out some feet and sanded every edge to make it soft. There is no finish added to the wood. I used all hand tools (chisels and saws) for the project.

Let's be very honest; it's not great on the aesthetic front; there was some tear out from the shitty Home Depot poplar I used for the sides and I have an absurd amount to learn when it comes to working with wood; not against it. But it works and fits in my prep space well!

Regardless, I finished my first project, made something functional and now I have more space to grow into for the next year until I build an upgraded version down the line. For me, it felt like a win worth sharing.

I'll be back down the line with some NSDs and some more stone content. I hope you're all well!

-Teej

Hello TCK!

I have not uploaded a cutting video in a while and I felt my new (to me) Yugiri 225 deserved to be showed off a little so here we are! This also gives me a chance to talk a little about performance for the first time.

Rule 5: Sakai Kikumori Yugiri Aogami #1/Stainless Kiritsuke Gyuto 225 (Tanaka x Myojin)

TL/DR: This is the best performing convex grind I've tried and by far my favorite of the four Myojin-ground knives I've owned. Not only does it ghost through food, but does so without feeling like a featherweight. It's a fucking dream and is an absolute thoroughbred in terms of performance. The shape, steel, grind and size all come together for one of the most complete knives I have ever owned.

I am not going to go into insane detail (I have a goal of reviewing every knife and stone I own so more coming soon hopefully) but I will give my initial impressions of this wonderful Yugiri 225 that I finally tracked down and added to the collection. First, let's get the details out of the way.

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Details and specs for the new (to me) Yugiri 225...

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Sakai Kikumori Yugiri Aogami #1/Stainless Kiritsuke Gyuto 225

• Basic dimensions
  • 215mm long, 52.9mm tall & 181g
• Spine-to-tip taper (tang, heel, halfway, 1cm before tip)
  • 2.4mm / 2.1mm / 2.1mm / 0.8mm
• Blacksmith: Tanaka Uchihamono (Yoshikazu Tanaka, Yoshihisa Tanaka & Okugami Yusuke)
• Sharpener: Naohito Myojin
• Steel: Aogami #1 core with stainless cladding
• Handle: Siamese Rosewood + Cream Horn handle by Boogwa

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I knew I was going to love this knife, but even still I'm shocked at how impressive it is

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First things first; a disclaimer on any comparisons and a how "good" my Yugiri 225 is...

I know the first question people will ask is "how does it rank compared to other knives" or "how good is it" but I want to start by saying any comparisons I make are subjective and only evidence of my exact knife.

These comparisons DO NOT hold true for every example. Even if you found your own Yugiri 225 and compared it to your own collection of exactly the same knives I did, you could (and likely would) have different takeaways. Handmade goods vary, everyone has their own bias, and the knives being discussed here are among the greatest in the world.

In this world of subjectivity and opinion, please do not take what I write as fact. I have my own bias and preferences so what I say might not be true for you; this is just a practice in analysis and a fun creative outlet. Just wanted to say that up top!

Yes, it is among the best performers in my collection and only behind my two Kagekiyo

Anyone who knows me also knows Sakai wide bevels from Morihiro (and his many students) have my heart and soul. My two favorites are my Kagekiyo; one by Morihiro and the other by Nishida-san. The only knives that ever contended with those two were other Sakai wide bevels by Yauchi-san (Kyuzo) and Tadokoro-san (I clearly have a type). But for the first time, something other than a wide bevel broke into my top-three; this Yugiri 225.

The hard truth is it's every bit as good as both Kagekiyo. It stands sizably above the other three Myojin grinds I have owned (Kagekiyo Ginsan 210, Yugiri 180, Tetsujin B2 165 Petty) and its also my favorite convex grind; even over my beloved Ashi and Takada no Hamono.

Without getting into the weeds, I hope that paints a picture of just how impressive and how highly I think of this Yugiri 225. Shoutout to Evan from Strata Portland, Sakai Kikumori, Tanaka Uchihamono and Myojin-san for putting their minds together to create such a wonderful knife. It's immediately jumped up into my S-Tier of knives.

This knife is one of the most complete packages I have experienced

Let's talk a bit more granularly about this knife and a few different reasons it is such a total fucking package as far as kitchen knives go.

First, the grind; this is the whole fucking point for me with everything I discuss after being just a bonus. That curvier convex by Myojin is just outstanding. It's not like some immaculate food release is suddenly in play or is gains some workhorse-esque qualities. Really, it's more simple than that. It has the weight to fall through food, the thinness behind the edge to ghost through cuts without resistance, and the subtle convexity to made every bit of the blade road smooth, but not flat. It is hard to explain, but the grind flows so well from tang to tip. The refinement and attention to detail is among the best I have seen, but it manifests as a simple cutting experience, if that makes sense. I hope that is resonating as the compliment it is intended for. Every cut is just so fucking easy, but with plenty of feedback; not just an overly thin profile.

Another big part of this is how that grind plays with this 225mm Kiritsuke Gyuto shape. It is the perfect length to not feel stretched, but also not too stubby like the 180mm version felt. It is long enough and tall enough to play with that curvy convexity in the best possible way. If this was 240, 255 or 270, the tip would likely get too thin and that substance behind each cut would be lost. In this 225 shape, everything is in its rightful place. Plus, the height being just over 52mm tall provides enough room to leave some heft in the hips while remaining so thin behind the edge. Again, its just such a well-designed knife.

Another underrated reason this is such a great package is how easy it is to maintain. Anytime you can get stainless cladding from Tanaka Uchihamono, it is a good idea. But that stainless cladding by them is so so soft sometimes and scratches easily. Having a horizontally brushed finish on that cladding makes it a breeze to clean up with just a scotch brite pad. It had scratches when I got it and after 10 minutes, I got 80% removed and did not impact the geometry or finish at all. That is really a huge benefit to keeping it as sexy as the day it was sold.

Lastly, I want to give Sakai Kikumori (and likely mostly Myojin-san) credit for some killer fit and finish. Not every Sakai Kikumori line is created equal, but the details on this knife are perfect. It is dead straight, the finish is beautiful, the spine and choil are flawlessly finished by Myojin-san and even the handle was wonderful. I still changed it because I felt this knife needed some warmth, but the ebony+black ferrule was a menacing combo.

Again, what a complete package. I have no complaints at all.

Random ramblings on cutting feel and other details...

• I do not think there is a single knife I own that has never made a carrot make an audible cracking noise, but so far this Yugiri has done so despite its extra curves which is mind-blowing.
• This is an obliterator of onions; slayer of shallots; terror to tomatoes and really a demon to any kind of product between its edge and the cutting board. This knife has smiled and sliced everything I put in front of it. Honestly, the term 'thoroughbred' comes to mind. I reminds me of a hypercar comfortable in the most intense corners and the longest straights. It delicately cuts herbs while viciously grabbing and slicing tomatoes; it glides through proteins as if it's reveling in its performance. It glides through dense carrots and onions but feels robust and substantial at all times. It is the midweight Myojin grind Ive always wanted and I'm obsessed with it.
• The Aogami #1 by Tanaka Uchihamono is just as wonderful as always. I put my own edge on it when I bought it finishing on my Maruoyama Shiro Suita and even a few weeks of use later, its still so fucking sharp its sticking in my end grain cutting board; it hasn't even been stropped.
• I am a die-hard 240mm guy, but this 225mm shape has really fit well in my kitchen. I have not felt the loss of ~15mm, but I.m feeling the benefits of a slightly smaller knife.
• The profile on mine has a lot of belly, but it's super subtle. So even if no more than 15% of the edge is contacting the board any anytime, there is never less than 10% at anytime too. That allows for it to tap chop garlic or draw cut through tuna or push cut through cooked chicken thighs. It's super versatile.

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I already wrote FAR more than I planned so I am just going to end it here and get the fuck out lol

I will be back with more posts soon; I want to begin the process of reviewing all the stones and knives I have individually so keep an eye out for that. I also grabbed some handheld Mikawa Nagura to go with my Chu Nagura bench stone so keep an eye out for a NSD for those too!

Until then, stay well and keep each other safe. I'll see you all soon!

-Teej

Hello TCK!

I am back again, but this post is about something more unique than normal...

This is my new Siamese Rosewood matching three-piece set that I just received from Boogwa -- which includes a handle, knife rest and pair of chopsticks -- and the story how it all came to be.

Rule 5: Sakai Kikumori Yugiri Aogami #1/Stainless Kiritsuke Gyuto 225 (Tanaka x Myojin)

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First off, everything starts with u/simplytch who took an idea and fucking ran with it lol

I had been using a cracked handle as a knife rest in pictures for a bit. It was an Ironwood Burl handle with a ferrule that cracked when I was putting it on my Tinker Saber Tooth. After it cracked, I sawed the rest of the ferrule off and kept the stub of the handle for pictures. The wood was still beautiful and it felt wrong to throw it away.

That is when simplytch decided to use my idea to commission his own knife rest in full marbled horn by Jack at Boogwa which had "Boogwa Rest Prototype #001" engraved on it. I guess after he made that post, Boogwa suddenly received a few other orders for knife rests as well. That is when simplytch joked he needs to get one made for me since all of this started with my cracked handle and his drunken idea lol.

Eventually this culminated in Jack offering simplytch a free handle for the inspiration on a new product line and simplytch offered it to me to make good on his joke to get me a knife rest of my own. When Jack heard this story, he got a kick out of it and offered to make me a matching three-piece set from Siamese Rosewood with a knife rest, handle and chopsticks.

Now, something like a month later, here we are with a stunning three-piece set from Boogwa (pic 1) and I am way more excited that I thought I would be. The handle is great and fits my Yugiri perfect (pic 3) as I talked about in my NHD post yesterday, but the knife rest and chopsticks are really impressive themselves; especially the chopsticks.

The workmanship on the chopsticks (pics 4, 9) shines the brightest; the barrel shape is extremely comfortable and its angular while being soft and rounded. They are wonderful and I will happily share a video of them up close if anyone is curious. The tone of the Siamese Rosewood is darker, but there is no difficulty getting glimpse of the grain. I never knew how much a beautiful pair of chopsticks would get me going lol

As for the knife rest (pics 3, 10-13), it's simplistic, but the wood shines on its own which is exactly what I wanted. This Siamese Rosewood is outstanding and simply getting out of the way and letting it do its thing was a great choice. It's also a longer rest (ref. pic 5) which can fit 2-3 knives comfortably depending on shape and size. As an extra bit of fun, Jack even engraved "Knife Rest Prototype #00" (pic 3) on mine instead of simplytch's "#001" as a joke that he stole my idea originally lol

I just wanted to end by thanking u/simplytch for kicking all this off and Jack at Boogwa for bringing this three-piece set to life at his own expense. To get this for free with no strings attached -- just because Jack wanted to show appreciation -- is really cool and was not needed. I am not being paid or asked to write this, nor was I asked to give a good review; these are entirely my own thoughts. I just like documenting my own journey in this hobby and figured I would share the kindness he showed and his eagerness to have a laugh, make some beautiful shit out of wood and give back to those who support him.

I am not going to tell you to go buy from Boogwa (it is not my place to do so) but I do want this story to be included in the conversation. He is a good guy, was fun to work with and this result is great.

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Thanks for reading if you got this far. Weirdly enough, all of this will get used. It is actually nice having a hardwood knife rest when cooking with carbon steel, but it is entirely unnecessary and purely a luxury lol. Even if that's true, it won't stop me from enjoying it! Thanks again to simplytch and Jack at Boogwa. Everything looks great.

I do have one more handle change in the works (also with Boogwa) but there were some issues there so keep an eye out for an update in a couple weeks. Until then, stay safe and take care of one another!

-Teej

Hello TCK!

Well, my new (to me) Yugiri 225 is without a doubt a keeper (as expected). But now that I know it will be with me for the long haul, it needed some new pants to really make it feel at home.

Rule 5: Sakai Kikumori Yugiri Aogami #1/Stainless Kiritsuke Gyuto 225 with Siamese Rosewood + Cream Horn handle by Boogwa

TL/DR: I gave Jack at Boogwa the freedom to pick a handle for my Yugiri 225 and he decided on this siamese rosewood with a cream-colored horn ferrule combo which I think is an absolutely perfect choice. There is a story behind how this handle came to be, but I will save that for another post...

Let's just dive in with the knife details real quick and start rambling about this absurdly gorgeous piece of rosewood and how well it matches the Yugiri 225.

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Details and specs for the new (to me) Yugiri 225...

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Sakai Kikumori Yugiri Aogami #1/Stainless Kiritsuke Gyuto 225

• Basic dimensions
  • 215mm long, 52.9mm tall & 181g
• Spine-to-tip taper (tang, heel, halfway, 1cm before tip)
  • 2.4mm / 2.1mm / 2.1mm / 0.8mm
• Blacksmith: Tanaka Uchihamono (Yoshikazu Tanaka, Yoshihisa Tanaka & Okugami Yusuke)
• Sharpener: Naohito Myojin
• Steel: Aogami #1 core with stainless cladding
• Handle: Siamese Rosewood + Cream Horn handle by Boogwa

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Well, I would say that's a sexy fucking combo of steel + wood...

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Shoutout to Jack at Boogwa for finding some seriously spectacular wood. This siamese rosewood is staggering in person and fully natural; no stabilization here.

It's the front-right side of the rosewood below the ferrule when looking straight on at the knife that really does it for me. It has that vortex of black with a center of that bright-red rosewood peaking out. It is so subtle that it can seem more like a reflection than a dramatic shift in the color of the wood. The figuring is beautifully wavy like a lot of rosewood, but nothing overly dramatic here. It's just the wood shining brightly on its own. This is my third custom handle made from rosewood and all three are among my all-time favorites. It is such a great option that is a bit lighter than Ebony, but heavier than Ho. It's in my sweet spot for density, feel in hand, and weight.

The cream-colored horn ferrule with a dash of orange marbling on the front is a great compliment to the intensity of the red from the rosewood. The cream neatly breaks up the finish of the knife and the red of the wood. It also sits fairly flush with the handle except for a couple small spots. Overall, well executed.

There is not as much taper on the handle and the shape is fairly flat, but no complaints. I typically prefer a thicker bottom and thinner top with handles, but I haven't found this to be uncomfortable at all.

Overall, my Yugiri did lose 19g of weight going from Ebony+horn to this Rosewood+horn, but that put the balance forward which I prefer. It now sits just behind the bottom kanji which is ~5mm further forward than before.

This is actually part of a matching set with the knife rest and chopsticks, but there will be a post to come specifically about that soon since there is a story behind it and also because Reddit despises posts with both pictures and video for whatever stupid reason. That should be ready by tomorrow at some point!

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As always, thanks for reading. Stay safe and take care of one another. I'll see you all tomorrow with another post.

-Teej

Hello!

This is the second of two parts for my NSD; this post will focus on pictures and talk about its sweet sweet looks. Here is the link to the other part which is the video to me using this Mikawa Nagura: NSD: 60-second video using my new Mikawa Chu Nagura (wet, slurried, in-use & final finish)

ALSO, A QUICK UPDATE: I had this stone loosely graded by Craig at Carbon Knife Co.; he spent around 20 minutes with it and we both agreed it is finer than Botan so I will be calling it Mikawa Chu Nagura from here on out. Botan is widely used for unmarked and ungraded stones because it covers the widest range, but that does not mean it's always true, like in this case. FWIW, it is also a bit softer and works better without slurry than I was able to accomplish on my own. So, some of the specs and details of the stone below will also different than my first post to reflect that.

Rule 5: Mikawa Chu Nagura (ungraded, unmarked bench stone)

TL/DR: I've looking for the next goal in this hobby and I decided to become as good at sharpening single bevels as I am on double bevels + taking polishing more seriously. I have been practicing for weeks on beater single bevels and found I was missing a medium grit polisher to jump to finer stones to get the stone finishes I wanted. This Mikawa is exactly what I was looking for...so far.

What a fucking stunner; taking pictures of this stone was such a joy and I am so happy the shots came out good and I can share them here. But first, the details of the stone...

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Details of this Mikawa Chu Nagura...

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Mikawa Chu Nagura bench stone

• Basic Dimensions
  • 218mm long, 78mm wide, 52mm thick, ~1820g
• Hardness, grit range, etc.
  • Hardness: 3.5/5
  • Grit: 4/5
  • Cutting speed: 4/5
  • Self-slurrying?: 3.2/5
  • Sealed?: Yes; cashew lacquer
• Kanji and markings
  • This stone has no kanji or markings of any kind other than the "20" on the bottom of the striped area. That "20" is likely because it was sold to the distributor as a collection of rough stones without markings or grading. The previous owner flattened it and made it useable before selling it to me. No other info beyond that.
• Other notable characteristics
  • 白 (Shiro) - The base color is white.
  • 環巻 (Kan) - This is the term for the wood-like pattern of the stone where it is striped. A stone does not need to be fully striped to be considered a Kan pattern and some are bisected like mine.
  • 煙硝 (Enshou) - A term for the black lines and crystalline parts you can see throughout the stone; scientifically known as a type dendrite, like renge.
  • 別大上 / 上特級 (Betsu Dai Jou / Tokkyuu Jou) - My stone does not have this grading, but in the world of Mikawa Nagura, Betsu Dai Jou refers to the stone being white and a uniform shape and Tokkyuu Jou refers to the stone being striped and a uniform shape; my stone has both.
• Use case in my collection: This is my final polisher in the nakatoishi range before jumping to the awasedo stones. It will be mostly used for single bevels with shirogami steels from Sakai, but I plan to test it beyond that use case.
• Score: 8.5/10; Since I am still getting to know it, I felt 8.5/10 was the highest I could give, but there is room for this score to improve as I get to know the stone better.
• Video: NSD: 60-second video using my new Mikawa Nagura Botan (wet, slurried, in-use & final finish)

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Let's talk about those looks because DAMN!

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The Kan pattern is outstanding

The first thing you notice when you see this stone is the pattern. It is not Mokume (incomplete circular wood rings) or Nenrin Hada (complete circular wood rings) but Kan.

Kan is horizontal lines bisecting the stone in the way wood rings look when viewed close up. Kan does not require the stone to be fully striped to be considered as such, but just a section of it. That is why this stone is considered a Kan pattern despite 3/4s of it being pure white (pic 1). Mikawa grading and visual indicators have different terminology (which we will get to in the next section) but this is a great example of both on one stone. You can even see the distinction of each pattern on the back through the chisel marks (pic 3).

The white section almost looks more like Tamagoiro than Shiro when wet (pic 2) with the light yellow splotches, but the slurry is definitely the off-white color expected from a Mikawa Shiro Nagura. Still, the coloration is subtly beautiful. There is so much detail to look at, and that is without discussing the Enshou, which comes to life with water. We will talk more about the Enshou lower down too, don't worry.

I'm not super experienced, but I don't remember many Mikawa being split between Betsu Dai Jou and Tokkyuu Jou so clearly like this

I called the pattern Kan, but there are two other terms used for Mikawa stones in particular.

The first is Betsu Dai Jou which loosely means a uniform square shape and white stone in Mikawa-world. the top 3/4s fits this definition exactly. But there is also Tokkyuu Jou which refers to a uniform square striped stone which is exactly what the bottom 1/4 of the stone is.

Truthfully, I am not sure which of the two Mikawa Nagura terms would apply here but anecdotally it feels rarer to see both so defined on one stone. It is certainly part of what grabbed my attention first when I saw it. Seeing both patterns reach down the sides and to the back (pics 3-7) astounds me knowing this is a naturally occurring pattern; it feels fabricated or fake.

But when I started looking closer, it wasn't the pattern, but the Enshou within the Tokkyuu Jou (pic 8) that really grabbed my attention.

Getting those Enshou details in the Tokkyuu Jou (striped) area is an insane cherry on top

There are many things I love about natural stones, but dendrites are very very high on that list. Renge of course, but also this Enshou, which is really the same thing, but on a stone other than a suita or uchigumori.

In this case, it is the black patterning at the bottom of the stone within the striped Tokkyuu Jou section that we are referring to. It is much clearer when wet (pic 2). It stretches from the surface, down the sides and through the back of the stone (pics 3-7).

By far my favorite picture I've taken of this stone (pic 8) is of the side where the Enshou against the backdrop of the Tokkyuu Jou pattern looks like trees on rolling hills. This looks like a painting; not crystalline bits within layers of rock. Fucking Japanese natural stones...

I need to learn to seal with cashew lacquer one day; it's beautiful

First, I have a whole new appreciation for cashew lacquer; it's consistent, feels great in the hand and you can tell it's a wonderful sealant for stones. But beyond its use, the looks are more beautiful than I realized.

I haven't talked much about the kawa (skin, or the back of the stone) because I have been waiting until this section. The way the cashew lacquer plays with the details of the kawa is a piece of art in itself. The chisel marks create a surface ideal for the slight luster of the cashew lacquer to play with the light. At the same time, it shows the distinct line between Betsu Dai Jou and Tokkyuu Jou on the back as it is on the front.

This got me thinking how much more gorgeous cashew lacquer is compared to other sealants. I am totally ok with other methods and am by no means that much of a purist. All of my natural stones but this Mikawa are sealed in spray-on shellac and I find no issue with that, but I am second guessing myself now.

It might be expensive, flammable, smelly and more difficult to work with, but man cashew lacquer sealing is calling to me.

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Thanks as always for reading! I'm hoping these Japanese natural stone videos and follow-up post with pictures and a closer look at its visual characteristics will be helpful to others curious about using them.

I hope you are all well! See you next time.

-Teej

Hello TCK!

This is the second of two parts for my NSD; this post will focus on pictures and talk about its sweet sweet looks. Here is the link to the other part which is the video to me using this Mikawa Nagura: NSD: 60-second video using my new Mikawa Chu Nagura (wet, slurried, in-use & final finish)

ALSO, A QUICK UPDATE: I had this stone loosely graded by Craig at Carbon Knife Co.; he spent around 20 minutes with it and we both agreed it is finer than Botan so I will be calling it Mikawa Chu Nagura from here on out. Botan is widely used for unmarked and ungraded stones because it covers the widest range, but that does not mean it's always true, like in this case. FWIW, it is also a bit softer and works better without slurry than I was able to accomplish on my own. So, some of the specs and details of the stone below will also different than my first post to reflect that.

Rule 5: Mikawa Chu Nagura (ungraded, unmarked bench stone)

TL/DR: I've looking for the next goal in this hobby and I decided to become as good at sharpening single bevels as I am on double bevels + taking polishing more seriously. I have been practicing for weeks on beater single bevels and found I was missing a medium grit polisher to jump to finer stones to get the stone finishes I wanted. This Mikawa is exactly what I was looking for...so far.

What a fucking stunner; taking pictures of this stone was such a joy and I am so happy the shots came out good and I can share them here. But first, the details of the stone...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Details of this Mikawa Chu Nagura...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mikawa Chu Nagura bench stone

• Basic Dimensions
  • 218mm long, 78mm wide, 52mm thick, ~1820g
• Hardness, grit range, etc.
  • Hardness: 3.5/5
  • Grit: 4/5
  • Cutting speed: 4/5
  • Self-slurrying?: 3.2/5
  • Sealed?: Yes; cashew lacquer
• Kanji and markings
  • This stone has no kanji or markings of any kind other than the "20" on the bottom of the striped area. That "20" is likely because it was sold to the distributor as a collection of rough stones without markings or grading. The previous owner flattened it and made it useable before selling it to me. No other info beyond that.
• Other notable characteristics
  • 白 (Shiro) - The base color is white.
  • 環巻 (Kan) - This is the term for the wood-like pattern of the stone where it is striped. A stone does not need to be fully striped to be considered a Kan pattern and some are bisected like mine.
  • 煙硝 (Enshou) - A term for the black lines and crystalline parts you can see throughout the stone; scientifically known as a type dendrite, like renge.
  • 別大上 / 上特級 (Betsu Dai Jou / Tokkyuu Jou) - My stone does not have this grading, but in the world of Mikawa Nagura, Betsu Dai Jou refers to the stone being white and a uniform shape and Tokkyuu Jou refers to the stone being striped and a uniform shape; my stone has both.
• Use case in my collection: This is my final polisher in the nakatoishi range before jumping to the awasedo stones. It will be mostly used for single bevels with shirogami steels from Sakai, but I plan to test it beyond that use case.
• Score: 8.5/10; Since I am still getting to know it, I felt 8.5/10 was the highest I could give, but there is room for this score to improve as I get to know the stone better.
• Video: NSD: 60-second video using my new Mikawa Nagura Botan (wet, slurried, in-use & final finish)

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Let's talk about those looks because DAMN!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Kan pattern is outstanding

The first thing you notice when you see this stone is the pattern. It is not Mokume (incomplete circular wood rings) or Nenrin Hada (complete circular wood rings) but Kan.

Kan is horizontal lines bisecting the stone in the way wood rings look when viewed close up. Kan does not require the stone to be fully striped to be considered as such, but just a section of it. That is why this stone is considered a Kan pattern despite 3/4s of it being pure white (pic 1). Mikawa grading and visual indicators have different terminology (which we will get to in the next section) but this is a great example of both on one stone. You can even see the distinction of each pattern on the back through the chisel marks (pic 3).

The white section almost looks more like Tamagoiro than Shiro when wet (pic 2) with the light yellow splotches, but the slurry is definitely the off-white color expected from a Mikawa Shiro Nagura. Still, the coloration is subtly beautiful. There is so much detail to look at, and that is without discussing the Enshou, which comes to life with water. We will talk more about the Enshou lower down too, don't worry.

I'm not super experienced, but I don't remember many Mikawa being split between Betsu Dai Jou and Tokkyuu Jou so clearly like this

I called the pattern Kan, but there are two other terms used for Mikawa stones in particular.

The first is Betsu Dai Jou which loosely means a uniform square shape and white stone in Mikawa-world. the top 3/4s fits this definition exactly. But there is also Tokkyuu Jou which refers to a uniform square striped stone which is exactly what the bottom 1/4 of the stone is.

Truthfully, I am not sure which of the two Mikawa Nagura terms would apply here but anecdotally it feels rarer to see both so defined on one stone. It is certainly part of what grabbed my attention first when I saw it. Seeing both patterns reach down the sides and to the back (pics 3-7) astounds me knowing this is a naturally occurring pattern; it feels fabricated or fake.

But when I started looking closer, it wasn't the pattern, but the Enshou within the Tokkyuu Jou (pic 8) that really grabbed my attention.

Getting those Enshou details in the Tokkyuu Jou (striped) area is an insane cherry on top

There are many things I love about natural stones, but dendrites are very very high on that list. Renge of course, but also this Enshou, which is really the same thing, but on a stone other than a suita or uchigumori.

In this case, it is the black patterning at the bottom of the stone within the striped Tokkyuu Jou section that we are referring to. It is much clearer when wet (pic 2). It stretches from the surface, down the sides and through the back of the stone (pics 3-7).

By far my favorite picture I've taken of this stone (pic 8) is of the side where the Enshou against the backdrop of the Tokkyuu Jou pattern looks like trees on rolling hills. This looks like a painting; not crystalline bits within layers of rock. Fucking Japanese natural stones...

I need to learn to seal with cashew lacquer one day; it's beautiful

First, I have a whole new appreciation for cashew lacquer; it's consistent, feels great in the hand and you can tell it's a wonderful sealant for stones. But beyond its use, the looks are more beautiful than I realized.

I haven't talked much about the kawa (skin, or the back of the stone) because I have been waiting until this section. The way the cashew lacquer plays with the details of the kawa is a piece of art in itself. The chisel marks create a surface ideal for the slight luster of the cashew lacquer to play with the light. At the same time, it shows the distinct line between Betsu Dai Jou and Tokkyuu Jou on the back as it is on the front.

This got me thinking how much more gorgeous cashew lacquer is compared to other sealants. I am totally ok with other methods and am by no means that much of a purist. All of my natural stones but this Mikawa are sealed in spray-on shellac and I find no issue with that, but I am second guessing myself now.

It might be expensive, flammable, smelly and more difficult to work with, but man cashew lacquer sealing is calling to me.

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Thanks as always for reading! I'm hoping these Japanese natural stone videos and follow-up post with pictures and a closer look at its visual characteristics will be helpful to others curious about using them.

I hope you are all well! See you next time.

-Teej

Hello TCK!

Well, there is a new Japanese natural stone in my collection and I am beyond excited.

If you want all the talk about its looks and aesthetic characteristics, check the comments for the other part of my two-part NSD which will be out soon. But on this post, we are going to dive into specifically its performance and use.

Rule 5: Mikawa Nagura Botan (ungraded, unmarked bench stone)

TL/DR: I've looking for the next goal in this hobby and I decided to become better at sharpening single bevels + start taking polishing more seriously. I have been practicing for weeks on beater single bevels and found I was missing a medium grit polisher to jump to finer stones. This Mikawa is exactly what I was looking for...so far.

I have only spent about 45 minutes on this stone since getting it, but I can confirm this stone is wonderful. Before my typical random ramblings, let's get the stone details out of the way...

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Details of this Mikawa Nagura Botan...

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Mikawa Nagura Botan bench stone

• Basic Dimensions
  • 218mm long, 78mm wide, 52mm thick, ~1820g
• Hardness, grit range, etc.
  • Hardness: 3.5/5
  • Grit: 3.8/5
  • Cutting speed: 4/5, but needs slurry
  • Self-slurrying?: 2.5/5; much better with nagura
  • Sealed?: Yes; cashew lacquer
• Kanji and markings
  • This stone has no kanji or markings of any kind other than the "20" on the bottom of the striped area. That "20" is likely because it was sold to the distributor as a collection of rough stones without markings or grading. The previous owner flattened it and made it useable before selling it to me. No other info beyond that.
• Other notable characteristics
  • ボタン (Botan) - This is the Mikawa version of the strata; it is the 4th-finest of seven layers.
  • 白 (Shiro) - The base color is white.
  • 環巻 (Kan) - This is the term for the wood-like pattern of the stone where it is striped. A stone does not need to be fully striped to be considered a Kan pattern and some are bisected like mine.
  • 煙硝 (Enshou) - A term for the black lines and crystalline parts you can see throughout the stone; scientifically known as a type dendrite, like renge.
  • 別大上と上特級 (Betsu Dai Jou & Tokkyuu Jou) - My stone does not have this grading, but in the world of Mikawa Nagura, Betsu Dai Jou refers to the stone being white and a uniform shape and Tokkyuu Jou refers to the stone being striped and a uniform shape; my stone has both.
• Use case in my collection: This is my final polisher in the nakatoishi range before jumping to the awasedo stones. It will be mostly used for single bevels with shirogami steels from Sakai, but I plan to test it beyond that use case.
• Score: 8/10; Since I am still getting to know it, I felt 8/10 was the highest I could give, but there is room for this score to improve as I get to know the stone better.

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Fine, fast, buttery & wonderful, but weird, quirky & unique...

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Let's just start with some basics and work into how the stone felt, some weirdness and some takeaways on the final finish. Lastly, I'll touch on my plan going forward for it.

Grit range:

The stone has a wide grit range depending on slurry, nagura used and amount of water. In a very short amount of time with it, I would say it's ~3.5k-5k with the finish off the Atoma 400 shown in the video above being toward the finer side of that range. I would bet that grit range would only widen with the use of a few different nagura-sized Mikawa stones too, but I will wait to go into more detail; more on that below.

Hardness and cutting speed:

The hardness and cutting speed of this stone are super interesting to me. Without slurry it was a very slow cutter, struggled to create its own slurry and felt harder than it is; I really disliked it if I am honest. But once I raised a slurry, it became a very quick cutter and started to feel friable with buttery smooth feedback despite being pretty damn fine grit; just fucking perfect for my use case as a single bevel polisher. The slurry is just barely off-white with a shade of tan and is raised easily with a diamond plate. The slurry is also pretty fine in thickness too; not just grit range. It does not thicken up like softer stones, but continues to refresh itself nonetheless. It only starts to struggle once it gets dry.

I get why it's so tough to nail down any measurement for hardness and cutting speed on these Mikawa Nagura because of how different they perform with and without slurry; it's like a different stone depending on how you use it.

This stone is really REALLY thirsty:

On the note of water, this is the thirstiest fucking Japanese natural stone I have ever seen and the only one I have ever soaked. Again, this stone is kinda weird despite also being wonderful for my use case.

Before starting, I soaked it for 10 minutes and let it air dry for another five minutes. By the time I used it, the stone was already asking for more water like a dry sponge. The stone is sealed on five sides so it can handle a bit of soaking, but I would not recommend this for almost any other JNat. Even with slurry, I still tend to keep a lot of water on the surface while working on it. It does stay hydrated for long enough to be an efficient stone, but it takes some maintenance to keep it cutting how you want.

Final finish details:

The finish is really impressive for this grit range. Not only did I spend under an hour on the stone, but I jumped straight from my Amakusa (~1k) straight to this Mikawa Botan which is quite the leap to remove scratches. Despite that, it really came away with a more-than-passable, but far-from-perfect finish in just about 25 minutes or so of actual stone work, which you can see above.

The finish is bright and shimmers; the details in the steel are more about how they shine more than pulling up any banding or other details. Also, this steel is far from anything special so I did not expect much. Still, the core steel is bright, the contrast is there, and there are more details revealed than expected. Hard to be upset with a finish like that with as little experience as I have with the stone and its not even meant to be a final polisher, but to set up the kireha for that next step. Hard to find anything wrong with this finish; its just so consistent without being overly contrasted or overly mirror.

How is it for edge work?

I have not tested it for edge work yet so TBD there, but it is unlikely to be a strong stone in that space and I have no reason to use this Mikawa over my Aizu for that purpose.

What's next?

Well, it's safe to say I am extremely happy with this stone so far, but I can feel there is more versatility and potential still to unlock. So the plan is to keep it in this role as final nakatoishi polisher and add some nagura-sized Mikawa stones to change up the slurry at each stage and refine the progression.

I already have some Asano-graded nagura on the way from Sakamoto-san's Buyee store: one Botan as a psudo tomo nagura, one Meijro for a harder/finer option & one Koma I'm hoping is a bit softer and finer than the Mejiro. I am also on the lookout to add an Atsu as well to add a coarse nagura to the mix.

Keep an eye out for that post in the next couple weeks!

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Thanks as always for reading! I'm hoping these Japanese natural stone videos of the stone being in use will be helpful to others curious about using them. Let me know if this was a helpful addition to my typical word vomiting I do.

Also, keep an eye out for another NSD post on my Mikawa to drop soon with a bunch of pictures of the stone and some talk about the different visual characteristics at play. Should be up later tonight!

See you all then,

-Teej

Hello TCK!

Well, there is a new Japanese natural stone in my collection and I am beyond excited.

If you want all the talk about its looks and aesthetic characteristics, check the comments for the other part of my two-part NSD which will be out soon. But on this post, we are going to dive into specifically its performance and use.

Rule 5: Mikawa Nagura Botan (ungraded, unmarked bench stone)

TL/DR: I've looking for the next goal in this hobby and I decided to become better at sharpening single bevels + start taking polishing more seriously. I have been practicing for weeks on beater single bevels and found I was missing a medium grit polisher to jump to finer stones. This Mikawa is exactly what I was looking for...so far.

I have only spent about 45 minutes on this stone since getting it, but I can confirm this stone is wonderful. Before my typical random ramblings, let's get the stone details out of the way...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Details of this Mikawa Nagura Botan...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mikawa Nagura Botan bench stone

• Basic Dimensions
  • 218mm long, 78mm wide, 52mm thick, ~1820g
• Hardness, grit range, etc.
  • Hardness: 3.5/5
  • Grit: 3.8/5
  • Cutting speed: 4/5, but needs slurry
  • Self-slurrying?: 2.5/5; much better with nagura
  • Sealed?: Yes; cashew lacquer
• Kanji and markings
  • This stone has no kanji or markings of any kind other than the "20" on the bottom of the striped area. That "20" is likely because it was sold to the distributor as a collection of rough stones without markings or grading. The previous owner flattened it and made it useable before selling it to me. No other info beyond that.
• Other notable characteristics
  • ボタン (Botan) - This is the Mikawa version of the strata; it is the 4th-finest of seven layers.
  • 白 (Shiro) - The base color is white.
  • 環巻 (Kan) - This is the term for the wood-like pattern of the stone where it is striped. A stone does not need to be fully striped to be considered a Kan pattern and some are bisected like mine.
  • 煙硝 (Enshou) - A term for the black lines and crystalline parts you can see throughout the stone; scientifically known as a type dendrite, like renge.
  • 別大上と上特級 (Betsu Dai Jou & Tokkyuu Jou) - My stone does not have this grading, but in the world of Mikawa Nagura, Betsu Dai Jou refers to the stone being white and a uniform shape and Tokkyuu Jou refers to the stone being striped and a uniform shape; my stone has both.
• Use case in my collection: This is my final polisher in the nakatoishi range before jumping to the awasedo stones. It will be mostly used for single bevels with shirogami steels from Sakai, but I plan to test it beyond that use case.
• Score: 8/10; Since I am still getting to know it, I felt 8/10 was the highest I could give, but there is room for this score to improve as I get to know the stone better.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fine, fast, buttery & wonderful, but weird, quirky & unique...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Let's just start with some basics and work into how the stone felt, some weirdness and some takeaways on the final finish. Lastly, I'll touch on my plan going forward for it.

Grit range:

The stone has a wide grit range depending on slurry, nagura used and amount of water. In a very short amount of time with it, I would say it's ~3.5k-5k with the finish off the Atoma 400 shown in the video above being toward the finer side of that range. I would bet that grit range would only widen with the use of a few different nagura-sized Mikawa stones too, but I will wait to go into more detail; more on that below.

Hardness and cutting speed:

The hardness and cutting speed of this stone are super interesting to me. Without slurry it was a very slow cutter, struggled to create its own slurry and felt harder than it is; I really disliked it if I am honest. But once I raised a slurry, it became a very quick cutter and started to feel friable with buttery smooth feedback despite being pretty damn fine grit; just fucking perfect for my use case as a single bevel polisher. The slurry is just barely off-white with a shade of tan and is raised easily with a diamond plate. The slurry is also pretty fine in thickness too; not just grit range. It does not thicken up like softer stones, but continues to refresh itself nonetheless. It only starts to struggle once it gets dry.

I get why it's so tough to nail down any measurement for hardness and cutting speed on these Mikawa Nagura because of how different they perform with and without slurry; it's like a different stone depending on how you use it.

This stone is really REALLY thirsty:

On the note of water, this is the thirstiest fucking Japanese natural stone I have ever seen and the only one I have ever soaked. Again, this stone is kinda weird despite also being wonderful for my use case.

Before starting, I soaked it for 10 minutes and let it air dry for another five minutes. By the time I used it, the stone was already asking for more water like a dry sponge. The stone is sealed on five sides so it can handle a bit of soaking, but I would not recommend this for almost any other JNat. Even with slurry, I still tend to keep a lot of water on the surface while working on it. It does stay hydrated for long enough to be an efficient stone, but it takes some maintenance to keep it cutting how you want.

Final finish details:

The finish is really impressive for this grit range. Not only did I spend under an hour on the stone, but I jumped straight from my Amakusa (~1k) straight to this Mikawa Botan which is quite the leap to remove scratches. Despite that, it really came away with a more-than-passable, but far-from-perfect finish in just about 25 minutes or so of actual stone work, which you can see above.

The finish is bright and shimmers; the details in the steel are more about how they shine more than pulling up any banding or other details. Also, this steel is far from anything special so I did not expect much. Still, the core steel is bright, the contrast is there, and there are more details revealed than expected. Hard to be upset with a finish like that with as little experience as I have with the stone and its not even meant to be a final polisher, but to set up the kireha for that next step. Hard to find anything wrong with this finish; its just so consistent without being overly contrasted or overly mirror.

How is it for edge work?

I have not tested it for edge work yet so TBD there, but it is unlikely to be a strong stone in that space and I have no reason to use this Mikawa over my Aizu for that purpose.

What's next?

Well, it's safe to say I am extremely happy with this stone so far, but I can feel there is more versatility and potential still to unlock. So the plan is to keep it in this role as final nakatoishi polisher and add some nagura-sized Mikawa stones to change up the slurry at each stage and refine the progression.

I already have some Asano-graded nagura on the way from Sakamoto-san's Buyee store: one Botan as a psudo tomo nagura, one Meijro for a harder/finer option & one Koma I'm hoping is a bit softer and finer than the Mejiro. I am also on the lookout to add an Atsu as well to add a coarse nagura to the mix.

Keep an eye out for that post in the next couple weeks!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks as always for reading! I'm hoping these Japanese natural stone videos of the stone being in use will be helpful to others curious about using them. Let me know if this was a helpful addition to my typical word vomiting I do.

Also, keep an eye out for another NSD post on my Mikawa to drop soon with a bunch of pictures of the stone and some talk about the different visual characteristics at play. Should be up later tonight!

See you all then,

-Teej

Hello! TCK!

No overly long-winded post today because I’m busy as hell (and need to go listen to this Isaiah Rashad album with a joint and a coffee ASAP) but I had to show some lefty single bevel love to kick off Saturday morning the right way.

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Rule 5 (L-R):

Hitohira Nakagawa Manzo Shirogami #3 Lefty Yanagiba 270mm (Nakagawa + Manzo)

Sakai Takayuki Tokujo Togashi Shirogami #2 Lefty Usuba 180mm (Kenji Togashi + Kenya Togashi)

Sakai Takayuki Tokujo Togashi Shirogami #2 Lefty Deba 135mm (Kenji Togashi + Kenya Togashi)

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*SOME QUICK THOUGHTS*

A side hobby to knives and stones for me is Japanese cutting techniques which led to my dive into single bevels. I gotta say, few geometries cut (and keep cutting) like single bevels do and they’re just a joy to sharpen.

All have been used, all need to be sharpened soon, but all are loved. My Deba is my go to butchery knife for birds and fish, my Yanagiba was my go-to slicer for months and months, and my Usuba is easily one of my favorite prep machines. I’ve reset the patina a couple times on them and touched up the koba on my Yanagiba and Deba, but all three are due for a full progression and polish in the near future which should make for some fun posts. I’ve been lazy and haven’t yet jumped from project knives to my trio of lefty single bevels lol soon though!

While I want to go big and upgrade my single bevels + add more, but I am taking my sweet time until sharpening and polishing them is second nature. So I think the rest of the year will be about getting even more comfortable on stones. I can thin and polish them now, after a bunch of reps on project knives, but it’s time to dive in with this trio and get them sharp and stunning as they deserve.

Maybe if my skills grow enough, I’ll feel capable of owning a Shigefusa Kitaeji Lefty Usuba. One day maybe!

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If you have questions or want to know more about any of these single bevels, let me know and I’ll toss them in the comments.

I hope you’re all well and enjoy the weekend!

-Teej

Hello!

I am back with a sharpening update of my new (to me) Yugiri 225. Holy shit it took one hell of an edge after going through a three-stone progression of all Japanese natural stones.

Rule 5: Sakai Kikumori Yugiri Aogami #1/Stainless Kiritsuke Gyuto 225mm (Tanaka x Myojin) with OEM Ebony + Horn handle

TL/DR: This Yugiri had a halfway functional edge when I got it, but this knife is set to be with me for the long haul so I figured I would give it a new edge to my own liking. I used my Amakusa, Aizu and Maruoyama Shiro Suita in the stone progression and did all deburring directly on the stone.

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The new edge on this Yugiri is ridiculous...and maybe a little bit of proof I'm improving

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I am not going to do a bunch of sections here, but just simply word vomit instead lol.

First, I am very satisfied with the edge and I figured I would take you all through my progression,

I started on my Amakusa which is about 3.5/5 in hardness and sits right around ~1k in grit range. This is a slower cutter compared to similar synthetic stones but I prefer that; slower cutter means more precise results. After five minutes or so, I raised a burr on both sides. I spent another 90 seconds or so deburring directly on the stone before moving on.

Next is my beloved Aizu, which is around 3.5/5 in hardness, but is much more of a true medium stone. It can vary from ~3k-4k in grit range, but no matter what it is just such a wonderful stone for edges. They tend to leave ferocious amount of bite, but also extremely refined edges. Mine is no different and quickly raise a burr on both sides. I also deburred directly on my Aizu too; something I tend to always do so I can ensure the edge is ready for the next stone.

Lastly, I went to my Maruoyama Shiro Suita Kurorenge to finish things up. It is about 4/5 hardness, and is closer to 4/5 in grit range; mine tends to sit around ~7k. But it breaks down easily which leads to a fast cutting stone. It quickly whipped up a dark schwarf on the stone from cutting the steel so fast and left a beautifully refined edge that retained its bite, but quietly glides through paper towels. And once again, I duurred on the stone.

Normally I would do a quick single pass on each side of my bare leather/suede strop and do a final deburr on rolled paper, but this edge was so good straight off the stone I just left it. I really feel I am unlocking another level of edge sharpness these days; especially with this JNat progression with basically any carbon steel. I still need to dial in getting stainless edges to this level, but I am happy with my growth I the last year as someone who never touched a stone before that.

Hopefully this little writeup helps others out there! I will also toss a picture of the JNats used in the comments as well for anyone curious.

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Stay safe and take care of one another. I'll see you all soon!

-Teej